Here’s the simple desert house located in Pioneertown California, the house was made of recycled and durable materials as well as a prominent steel canopy that shelters and shades the home. This house was designed by Lloyd Russell architect for Jim Austin who asks him to create “the ultimate desert structure”. Desert is a hot zone, so the architect must be create any solution to keep the temperature down inside the house by using the canopy. When the sun hits the canopy, some of that heat is reflected back into the sky while the rest is absorbed by the canopy. And since there’s a wind buffer, the design creates a cooling mechanism to keep the house relatively shaded and cool. It’s a very simple life, so you want it to be pretty simple architecture.

this house design is interesting and possibly effective for 1/2 the year. but anyone who’s spent the Winter in the desert knows how cold it can get. this design is completely ineffective for dealing with low temperatures.

Amazing how people will buy that this took some kind of genius to design. I can go online and buy one of those metal carport kits and put it over my house too. As Richard Roe stated, it’s impractical for dealing with low temps. Earth-berm structures and use of native materials would be much more efficient. See Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Scottsdale, AZ. Concrete, “desert rubble”, natural woods, open plans, Earth tones, retractable roof panels, and all sunken into the site…..THAT’S how you build a sensible home in a desert climate.
This Lloyd Russel design is awful. The main house itself looks as if it sits on the foundation of an old garage, the “canopy” is simply OVER the house, and the house itself looks as if it was designed by a 5 year old with a box of Crayolas.